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ENHANCING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Students, staff and visitors to the University of Warwick can now enjoy big screen outdoor entertainment following the installation of an NEC LED videowall in their central piazza.

Consistently at the top of the league tables, Warwick is one of the UK’s leading universities with an acknowledged reputation for excellence in research and teaching, for innovation and for links with business and industry. Seeking to create new ways of thinking and achieving, Warwick strives to stand out from its competitors and the more ‘traditional universities’ by creating an inspiring place to study and undertake research.

The Challenge

As a modern forward-thinking university, Warwick is keen to demonstrate its innovative approach to campus life and recognised an opportunity to inspire its community through a digital medium.

Located in the central piazza area where students gather in a social environment, the vast new 17.5m2 LED screen enhances the campus experience for the university community by showing live streams of international sporting events, ceremonies, digital arts installations and student films. A busy, vibrant square at the heart of Warwick University, the Piazza is surrounded by a mix of shops and cafes and is a buzzing focal point for student life.

Jonathan Owen, audio visual service owner at the University of Warwick says: “Following the strategic decision to invest in a large-scale outdoor LED screen, we have already seen significant student support since its installation in June. We chose to invest in the screen to improve the student experience and to draw together the different areas of the university in a social environment.”

The NEC Solution

The NEC 10mm Nichia LED modules deliver excellent uniformity of colour and brightness across the entire screen with wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles. With IP65 rating the screen is protected against the elements for outdoor use whilst delivering up to 6,000cd/m2 brightness for excellent viewing even in direct sunlight. The ambient light sensor will ensure optimum brightness levels whilst minimising power consumption.

Designed for 24/7 operation, the high quality LED modules will deliver consistent performance even for heavy-duty applications. Following a successful pilot programme, the screen installation was project managed by Visual Technology, NECs contracted Partner for its LED displays. The sound system was designed by Fuzion Ltd who also provided technical and rigging support.

The Result

“The ability to view high-quality images of graduation ceremonies and sporting events has proven to be very popular and attracted a large student audience gathering at the piazza,” says Owen. “We’re confident that in the new academic year, students and visitors will benefit from this highly visible signage for information and entertainment. We hope the screen will be used by the entire campus community and we are encouraging people to suggest ideas and events that they would like to see featured, as well as potentially developing content themselves.”